Title XVIII, Fish and Game

The state of New Hampshire shall have exclusive authority and jurisdiction over the management, preservation, protection, propagation and taking of wildlife in the state. Except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, no ordinance or regulation of a political subdivision m…

No person, while hunting or obviously on his way to or from hunting, shall have a ferret in his possession, custody or control.

I. To discourage the use of lead, the fish and game department, in consultation with the department of health and human services and in partnership with the department of environmental services, the Loon Preservation Committee, the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, and the New Ha…

I. For the purposes of this subdivision, "wolf" means any canine classified as Canis lupis or Canis rufus. II. No person or state agency shall introduce wolf populations to the state of New Hampshire.

The state treasurer shall establish a separate nonlapsing account within the fish and game fund to be known as the operation game thief account to which moneys obtained by the fish and game department shall be applied, including any federal moneys which become available and all d…

I. Any person taking or attempting to take a game animal or fur-bearing animal may use a game camera to locate, surveil, aid or assist in any attempt to locate or surveil any game animal or fur-bearing animal, provided that no person shall take a game animal or fur-bearing animal…

I. No person shall take or attempt to take wild birds or wild animals from a motor vehicle, OHRV, snowmobile as defined in RSA 215-C:1, boat, aircraft or other craft propelled by mechanical power. II. No person shall have or carry, in or on a motor vehicle, OHRV, snowmobile, or a…

I. RSA 207:7 shall not apply to a disabled person who has paraplegia, has lost one or both lower extremities, or has lost the use of one or both lower extremities, and who has obtained a current license to hunt; provided, however, that such person must first obtain from the execu…

Any person who violates a provision of RSA 207:7 shall be guilty of a violation and shall be guilty of an additional violation for each wild bird or animal taken or possessed contrary to said provision.

No person shall take fish or game for wages or hire.

I. No person shall offer for sale, take, or assist in the taking of wildlife by use of remote control or Internet hunting. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor if a natural person and guilty of a felony if any other person. In addition, th…

No person shall take game using a tranquilizer propelled from a bow, crossbow, or firearm. This shall not apply to the executive director of fish and game or the executive director's authorized agents.

I. In this section: (a) "Drug" means any chemical substance, other than food or mineral/vitamin supplements, that affects the structure or biological function of any mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian under the jurisdiction of the fish and game department. (b) "Normal animal hus…

Fish shall be taken only by angling unless otherwise specifically permitted. If a fish is unintentionally taken contrary to the prohibitions or restrictions contained in a provision of this title, such fish shall be immediately liberated and returned to the water without unnecess…

No person shall, at any time, hunt, take, or possess, any caribou, or elk, or any part of the carcass, taken in this state.

I. No person shall hunt, take, or possess any moose or any part of the carcass of a moose taken in this state without first obtaining a valid license for such activities from the department of fish and game. The executive director of fish and game, with the consent of the commiss…

Notwithstanding the application, licensure, and permit requirements of Title 18, the executive director of fish and game may annually issue, at no cost, up to 2 licenses or permits to the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation to provide hunting adventures to New Hampshire residents 2…

No person shall, at any time, shoot, hunt, take, or possess, any mountain lion or any part of the carcass, taken in this state. However, this section shall not apply to a person acting in self-protection or protecting such person's property.

The executive director may, should mountain lions become a nuisance in any part of the state, take and authorize such measures as the executive director deems necessary for control of this animal.

No person shall, at any time, shoot, hunt, take or possess, any animal of the species known as Canadian Lynx or part of the carcass thereof, taken in this state. However, this section shall not apply to a person acting in self-protection or protecting such person's property.

The executive director of fish and game, with the consent of the commission, shall establish, by rules adopted under RSA 541-A, a night hunting season for coyote. Such rules shall include, but not be limited to, the method and manner of taking, reporting requirements, length of t…

No owner or keeper of any camp, house, or other building, used partly or wholly in lumbering operations, and no person connected with or employed in or about such camp, house, or building, shall use, consume, permit to be served as food, store or have in possession at any time, i…

No person shall buy, sell, or offer or expose for sale a deer, moose, or bear or part thereof except the head, hide, or feet.

A resident of the state may transport within the state, during the open season and for 10 days thereafter, a deer legally taken by the resident, when accompanied by such resident, and to which the deer tag has been attached as provided in RSA 208:16 and for which the resident has…

The holder of a nonresident hunting license may transport within the state or from a point within the state to a point outside the state, a deer legally taken by the nonresident, when accompanied by such nonresident and to which the deer tag has been attached as provided in RSA 2…

I. Any transportation of deer not covered in RSA 208:12 and 13 shall be allowed only under the terms of a special permit, signed by the executive director or an agent of the executive director, except that a person under 16 years of age, hunting without a license but accompanied …

The possession of a deer or any part thereof by a person or common carrier, otherwise than as herein prescribed, shall be prima facie evidence that such person or common carrier is guilty of a violation of the provisions of this subdivision.

The executive director shall cause to be established such number of deer registration stations as the executive director may deem necessary for the purpose of registering deer killed in the state. Each such station shall be in charge of an agent designated by the executive direct…

The registration agent shall register each deer legally presented for registration and shall provide a registration confirmation number for each deer in the manner prescribed by the executive director. The executive director shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A relative to reg…

The agent shall keep such records as may be prescribed by the executive director which records shall be subject to inspection at anytime by the executive director or an agent of the executive director.

Any person killing a deer shall present the same for registration at the first open deer registration station on the route taken by the person who killed the deer, or by using the online registration process established by the executive director under RSA 208:15-h. No person shal…

No person shall keep a deer in the person's home, or any place of storage, except at a deer registration station, for a period of more than 24 hours unless the deer has been legally registered.

If a person, after killing a deer, shall leave the location where the deer was killed without taking the deer the person shall notify a conservation officer within 12 hours as to the location of the deer and describe the circumstances necessitating such person's leaving the deer …

No person shall possess at anytime any deer, or part thereof, which has not been legally registered as herein provided. The provisions of this section shall not apply to either the possession of a deer between the time it was killed and the presentation of the deer at the registr…

The executive director shall cause to be established an online registration system on or before September 1, 2023 for the purpose of registering deer killed in the state. The executive director shall act as the registration agent for deer registered through the online registratio…

The executive director may, by administrative rule adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A, limit the availability of online registration on days designated for biological sample collection and suspend online registration in the event of a wildlife or public health emergency, with the cons…

I. The holder of a license to hunt under RSA 214:9, I, III, VI, VII, and RSA 208:5 shall be provided with a deer tag attached to the license. The holder of a license shall, upon killing a deer, fill out and detach the deer tag from the license and then securely attach to the deer…

I. The executive director, after consulting with the commission, shall have the authority to open and close the seasons for the taking of wild deer, to fix the number and sex limitations for wild deer, and any other conditions governing the methods and manner of taking and report…

A person who violates: I. RSA 208:1, 1-b, 1-d, 7, I and II, and 8 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person, or guilty of a felony if any other person. II. RSA 208:3, 3-a, 3-b, 3-c, 4, 5, 5-a, 6-a, 7, III, 10, and 12-16 inclusive, shall be guilty of a violation if a na…

I. The executive director, with the consent of the commission, shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to opening and closing the seasons for the taking of wild black bear, fixing the number of wild black bear that may be taken and any other conditions governing the me…

I. The wild black bear has played a vital role in the development and history of the state and is recognized as a valuable game and wildlife resource. It is recognized that bears should be accorded such protection as is necessary to maintain and enhance their numbers. II. No pers…

The executive director may condemn, upon request of a licensee, the carcass of a lawfully taken and possessed game animal that is determined unfit for human consumption, provided the condition was not created by the actions of the person who took the animal. The entire game anima…

Wild deer shall not be taken by the use of a firearm, other than a pistol as permitted in RSA 208:3-d, a shotgun loaded with a single ball or loose buckshot, muzzle-loading rifle, bow and arrow, or crossbow as provided in RSA 208:7-a, in the towns of the following counties as fol…

Wild deer shall not be taken in the towns of Greenland, Newington and Stratham and the city of Portsmouth by use of a firearm, other than a pistol as permitted in RSA 208:3-d, a shotgun loaded with a single ball, a muzzle-loading rifle, bow and arrow, or crossbow as provided in R…

Wild deer shall not be taken in the town of Chester by use of a firearm other than a pistol as permitted in RSA 208:3-d, a shotgun loaded with a single ball, muzzle-loaders as provided in RSA 208:5-a, bow and arrow, or crossbow as provided in RSA 208:7-a.

Wild deer shall not be taken in the town of Auburn except by the use of a pistol as permitted in RSA 208:3-d, a shotgun loaded with a single ball, a muzzle-loading rifle, a bow and arrow, or crossbow as provided in RSA 208:7-a.